RENAULT ALLIANCE GTA IS A DANDY LITTLE SPORTS CAR ROAD TEST

LEONARD KUCINSKI, The Morning CallTHE MORNING CALL

One of the most popular segments of the subcompact class is the sporty car or pocket rocket. Basically this is a car based on high production economy but with emphasis placed on appearance, performance and handling. The big advantage of this type of car is that if offers something beyond the ordinary and not at an outrageous price.

Driving enthusiasts do, of course, like the pocket rocket because of its sportiness and responsiveness but even non-enthusiasts can appreciate these qualities, even if they drive it like is was just another economy car.

One of the new pocket rockets for the 1987 model year is the Renault Alliance GTA, a dandy little car that makes one wonder why American Motors waited so long to bring it out. After all American Motors with its ties to the French automakerRenault had all the resources for such a car but it was probably just a matter of them waiting for the market to be right. Whatever the reason, they came right on target with this model.

The GTA is manufactured in Kenosha, Wis., and like the Alliance it is based upon a joint effort of American and French engineering. In the past, AMC has had a fling at performance cars - most noteably the AMX, a factory muscle car of the late 1960s that was a real mean machine - and Renault has always had sporty cars in the lineup, though recently most of them have been the company's European models. So, the GTA does have an excellent heritage.

The two-door sedan test vehicle (the GTA is also available in a convertible model) was a clean-looking car with a distinct sporty look. It really looked like an entirely different car than the standard two-door Alliance. In addition to the front airdam and rear spoiler there are special color-keyed "ground effects" bodyside cladding styled by Zender of West Germany, Europe's leading after-market designer. Adding to the appearance and showing that this is indeed a serious sporty car are 15-inch Michelin P195/ 50VR15 Sport XGT performance tires mounted on aluminum alloy wheels.

The interior was also quite sporty looking with its full instrument panel, "Turbo" sport seats (adapted from the European Renault 11), leather- wrapped Turbo steering wheel (adapted from the European Renault 5 Turbo) and red pinstriping on the door panels and dashboard. All-in-all, quite attractive.

The interior also happened to be quite comfortable. The front seats, mounted on Renault's unique pedestal design, are good-sized and will accommodate drivers and passengers of all sizes and shapes. Rear seat room is about average for a subcompact but the pedestal front seats allow passengers to put their feet on either side of the center front seat tracks. Very clever. The GTA (and Alliance) also offers excellent frontal vision because of the low cut dash.

The four-wheel independent suspension system - gas-charged MacPherson struts and shocks up front and torsion bars in the rear, large front and rear stabilizer bars and increased-rate springs - has been retuned for handling. Driving the GTA shouldn't present any problems to anyone but it is much more responsive than the average Alliance. The rack-and-pinion steering system is tight and it doesn't take much wheel movement to turn the GTA. The test car was particularly impressive on tortuous back roads. It just hung in there like a sports car under the most trying conditions.

The GTA is powered by a 2-liter/121-cubic-inch four-cylinder engine that is used in this model only (the regular Alliance is offered with a 1.4-liter or 1.7-liter engine). The engine features an overhead cam, Bendix single point fuel injection and is rated at 95 horsepower at 5,250 rpm and 114 foot pounds torque at 2,750 rpm. This is more than enough horses to move about the 2,000 pound GTA. And since it has a tuned exhaust, it also sounds good too.

The close-ratio five-speed manual transmission (the only transmission available) is fairly easy to use and if you play it right acceleration and passing power will be above normal. Performance also is helped out by a final drive axle with a fairly low ratio of 4.07:1. Hard acceleration will usually result in spinning wheels and a good deal of torque steer. Torque steer is not that unusual in front-wheel drive cars, especially those with above average power, but you do have to hang onto that steering wheel to prevent it from taking its own path.

Base price on the GTA two-door is $8,999. This really isn't that bad when you consider all the equipment the base offers.In addition to items already mentioned, other standard equipment includes power steering, power brakes, dual halogen headlamps, dual remote control mirrors, center console, carpeted trunk area and a high level of both interior and exterior trim.

The GTA is covered by the Renault new vehicle limited warranty, which offers extensive coverage on vehicle components from 12 months/12,000 miles and American Motors' 5/50 coverage - 5 years/50,000 miles - for major engine, transmission and powertrain components. Three-year vehicle corrosion protection is also included as well as 5 year/50,000 mile corrosion protection for outer body panels.